OP implies a sense of entitlement ("better treatment") that UA does not bestow on any E pax (whether full fare Y or discounted L). For better treatment a non-status pax must buy a premium seat.
And all non-status pax end up flying the competition because they're sick and tired of the crap that UAL gives them, United has no elite pax to extort from, and then when the current generation of elite pax stop flying, United goes bankrupt and ceases to exist. Good move.
You know, the current generation of 1Ks, 1Ps and Global Services members will eventually die or stop flying because they're people. And because they didn't bother to
create a new generation of 1Ks, 1Ps and Global Services members that are loyal to UAL because UAL treated potential 1Ks and 1Ps like crap when they were general members and they walked to Continental or god forbid US Scareways, then UAL HAS no base of frequent customers. And that's how UAL will cease to exist. Which is totally fine by me.